Church kneeler with folding legs



Dec. 20, 1966 HAHNLEIN 3, 9 7

CHURCH KNEELER WITH FOLDING LEGS Filed Oct. 19, 1965 W 71/ am Habn/a n,

INV EN TOR.

IW'MNN a "CHAN/6A1. Iii/army: fbr l lli-qm United States Patent 3,292,975 CHURCH KNEELER WITH FOLDING LEGS William Hahnlein, Glendale, Cali'rl, assiguor to Hamlin Manufacturing Co., Glendale, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 497,761 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-426) The present invention relates generally to kneeling benches or kneelers such as utilized in connection with church benches or pews, and is more particularly concerned with improved means for folding certain parts of the kneeler during its non-use.

Kneelers or kneeling benches of the type with which the present invention is concerned are constructed conventionally so as to include a cushioned bench supported for translatory movement by means of swingable end arms, and in some installations including one or more arms which are positioned between the end arms. The arms are arranged for pivotal connection to the vertical supports of seats and pews so as to permit the arms to be easily moved to a lowered extended position of use for the kneeling bench, and to and out-of-the-way position of non-use to provide walking space between the pews or rows of seats.

In the usual kneeler construction, the bench is provided with one or more legs which serve to support the bench above the floor in its use position. These legs, in the non-use position of the kneeling bench project more or less into the space between the pews or rows of seats, and thus provide projecting elements which may interfere with free and unimpeded movement of persons in the space between the pews or rows of seats.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a kneeling bench or kneeler in which the legs will automatically be folded into an out-of-the-way position against the underside of the bench, when the bench is moved to its non-use position, and extended to a bench supporting position, when the bench is moved to a position of use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bench of the character described having a plurality of legs supported for unitary swinging movements to a bench supporting position and a folded position, by means of a linkage mechanism operative in response to movement of the bench to its positions of use and non-use.

Still another object is to pivotally support the legs of a kneeling bench on a member which serves to longitudinally rigidity the bench structure.

Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a perspective rear view of a church bench or pew having a kneeler of the type embodying the features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken substantially on line 22 of FIG. 1, and wherein the kneeler is shown in full lines in a position of use, and in phantom lines in a non-use position with the legs folded; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary detailed elevational view, showing the position of the kneeler supports, and their relation, when the kneeler is in a position of use.

Referring generally to the drawings, for illustrative purposes, the present invention is shown as being utilized with a conventional church pew having a seat portion 11 and back portion 12 supported upon a plurality of vertical end supports 13 and 14 between which there is positioned an intermediate vertical support 15.

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The kneeler includes an elongate cushioned bench 16 having a rigid body or a base 17. The kneeling bench 16 is provided adjacent its ends with rigidly connected laterally extending arms 18-18 which are pivotally supported at their projecting ends upon the pew supports in a manner to permit, as shown in FIG. 2, swinging movement of the bench from a position of use as shown in full lines, to a position of non-use as shown in phantom lines.

More specifically, the projecting end of the arm 18 is swingably mounted upon a fixed pivot 19 carried by a plate member 20 which is affixed to the pew support as by mounting screws 21.

The opposite end of the arm 18 is formed with a bearing bracket 21 for receiving and rotatably supporting therein one end of a longitudinally extending shaft member 22. This shaft carries a plurality of legs 23 which are fixedly secured to the shaft 22 at one end and provided at their outermost ends with a foot portion 24 for engaging a supporting floor structure to support the bench in its use position.

As thus mounted, the legs are swingable as a unit from a bench supporting position to a generally laterally extending position substantially in parallel relation to the arms 18, when the bench is in a non-use position.

For automatically controlling the movement of the legs 23 in response to swinging movement of the bench to its non-use or use positions, one or more of the legs is connected through a link member 25 with the plate member 20, one end of the link member being pivotally connected as by a pivot 26 to a leg 23 and at its other end by means of a pivot member 27 mounted on the plate 20.

It will be observed that the pivot 26 is offset with respect to the axis of the shaft member 22,'and also that the pivot 27 is radially displaced from the pivot 19. The link member 25 between its pivots and the offset distance of the link 26 from the axis of the shaft 22 is so proportioned that these distances will permit substantially parallel alignment with the associated arm 18, when the bench is swung to its position of non-use. In this position, the legs will have been swung to a substantially folded position where they will be out-of-the-way and permit the passage of persons between the pews without bumping against the legs. When the bench is moved to its use position, the link 25 functions to swing the legs carried by the shaft 22 with a unitary movement to leg supporting position extending below the bench 16.

From the foregoing description, it is believed that it will be appreciated that the delineated objects of the invention will be accomplished.

Various modifications may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention, and hence, I do not wish to be restricted to the specific form shown or uses mentioned except to the extent indicated in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a kneeler for a church pew seat having spaced apart vertical supports:

(a) an elongate kneeling bench;

(b) laterally extending supporting arms respectively at the ends of the bench, said arms being fixedly attached to the bench and pivoted at their outer ends on the spaced vertical supports of the pew seats for swinging movements to selectively locate the bench in a lowered position of use and in a raised position of non-use;

(c) an elongate member extending axially along the underside of the bench, said member being supported for rotation;

(d) a plurality of support legs carried by said member and interconnected thereby for unitary swinging movement to a supporting position extending below the bench, and to a non-supporting position extending laterally of said bench; and

(e) means for swinging said legs to the support position in the use position of the bench, and to the non-supporting position in the non-use position, said means including a link member having one end pivoted to one of said vertical pew supports below the pivoted end of the adjacent supporting arm, and its other end pivotally connected to one of said legs at a point outwardly spaced from the elongate member for rotation thereof during raising and lowering movements of the bench.

Bacon 297426 X Frost 297426 Clarin 297425 King 297426 Lockshin 297426 Hanlein 297426 10 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

CASMIR A. NUNBERG, Examiner. 

